Die by the Sword/Epilogue

Die by the Sword
EP: The One Who Filled the Questionnaire

Previous	Event Story
Izumi Okay then, I will announce the final results~! First place: Azuma-san! 50,000 points! Fuyuki Man~ You’re good at mahjong, Azuma-san. Tasuku Way too strong. Azuma It was a fluke. Izumi Second place: Fuyuki-san, 30,000 points! Third place: Guy-san, 20,000 points! Hisoka ...Guy is also surprisingly good. Homare He fought rather bravely for someone who didn’t know the rules. Izumi And then in last place is Tasuku-san! Fuyuki Haha, it’s decided who’ll do the punishment game. Tasuku. Tasuku No one told me about that. Tsumugi Now, now. It’s an essential part to these kinds of things. Azuma I wonder what would be good. Tasuku’s Mother Everyone, I made tea. Tsumugi Ah, thank you very much. Izumi I’m sorry to intrude with such a huge crowd. Tasuku’s Mother Not at all. It’s like I’m back to Tasuku’s student days; it’s lively and fun. Fuyuki They gathered here a lot for practice after school. Tsumugi That’s right. After club practice he’d call me and say “Let’s do self-training at my house.” Homare How very committed. Guy I can picture it. Izumi So, what should the punishment game be? Tasuku You haven’t forgotten about that, huh. Fuyuki That’s right——! Hold on for a sec. Tasuku ...I have a bad feeling about this. Fuyuki If it’s a punishment game for Tasuku, it has to be this. A DVD of Tasuku’s first lead role in GOD-za! Tasuku What!? Izumi Wah, I want to watch it! Azuma His first lead role, huh. How valuable. Tasuku Oi aniki, where did you get that—— Fuyuki I make sure to buy and collect DVDs of your lead roles. Tasuku Don’t collect them. And even if you guys watch that, it won’t be interesting at all. Tsumugi I don’t think so. Tasuku If you’re going to watch, there are other—— Fuyuki You’re wide open! Tasuku —— Fuyuki Now, Tsumu! Set it up! Tsumugi Got it. Tasuku Oi, let me go——! Fuyuki Urgh—— You got stronger again, Tasuku. Guy I will assist you. Hisoka ...I’ll hold him down. Tasuku Do not! Tsumugi I’m playing it. Tasuku ...Dammit. Do what you want. This is why I didn’t want to celebrate at my house. Azuma He’s a good brother. He’s supporting you, isn’t he? Tasuku ...Well, that’s true. Azuma Cherish him. Tasuku ...Yes. Homare Ah, it’s begun! Izumi Uwah~ It’s so sparkly. (Tasuku-san’s acting here is a little undeveloped compared to now; this somewhat clumsy feel is fresh.) Azuma He really is the prince. The costume is also glamorous. Homare Mhm. The stage set is elaborate as well. Izumi It’s really like what you’d expect from GOD-za. Tasuku ... Izumi That was interesting! Guy The script was good too. Hisoka ...Tasuku was glittering. Homare In the physical sense. Tasuku Shut up. I’m glad you found it funny. Homare No, it was honestly quite helpful as a reference in many ways. Izumi Yup yup! The staging was fresh too! Azuma But still, even Tasuku was nervous in his first lead role. Izumi Ah, I thought so too! Tasuku Huh? Hisoka ...During the opening, you were stiff. Homare Midway through, it seemed as if you were about to drop your prop. It was my first time seeing you like that. Guy Being the lead for the first time was nerve-wracking even for Takato. My impression of you has changed again. Tasuku ...You noticed? Azuma Well, yeah. Homare How many times do you think we’ve stood on the same stage? Hisoka ...You’d notice if you look. Guy When you act next to each other, you can see many different things. Tasuku —— Fuyuki ...Huh, you’re the same as Tsumugi. Izumi The same? Tasuku Everyone is like that in their first lead role. Sorry that I was shabby. Tsumugi But I like the way you said that one line. “Even if I am torn apart, my vow shall never perish. For all of eternity I shall live with you, and when that body of yours rots I shall sleep alongside you.” Tasuku I’m surprised you memorized that, considering you’ve only seen it once. Tsumugi Well, I’ve watched it many times on video—— Tasuku Huh? Tsumugi —— Azuma So you’ve seen this performance before. Homare If you have it on video, then perhaps you also went to watch it on stage? Hisoka ...Weren’t you fighting? Izumi If I remember correctly, you said that you were fighting and were apart when Tasuku-san was in GOD-za. Tsumugi ...Umm. Tasuku You watched it? Fuyuki Haha, that’s rare that you dug your own grave. Just spill it. Tsumugi ... Fuyuki Actually when Tasuku played the lead on stage for the first time, Tsumu went to go see it too. He even made me fill the questionnaire sheet on his behalf; he said he’d be found out from his handwriting. There wasn’t even any space left to write anymore. It was so much. “That’s how much I want to tell him,” he said, so I thought, “How much praise does he have for him?” But more than half of it was harsh criticism. I was so surprised. Tasuku Really...? Tsumugi ...I didn’t think you’d still have it with you even now though. Tasuku Huh? Then—— Izumi Ah, could it be the questionnaire sheet that was inserted between the pages of the script? Homare Ahh, that sheet of paper among the belongings that had been sent. Tasuku That was you...? Tsumugi ...Sorry about that. Tasuku *sigh*... Guy But the fact that Takato held on to it must mean that the contents of that questionnaire were just that important to him. Tasuku ...When I got that questionnaire, I was simply happy. I did think it was annoying too though, since it was nothing but criticism. The only one who noticed I was nervous and pointed out my trivial mistakes was the one who filled that questionnaire. I thought, I want to act with someone like this –– someone who watches my acting closely, and really takes it in. I thought that if I did, I’d be able to create a better stage—— Tsumugi Tasuku... Izumi ...And that’s why, that became Tasuku-san’s reason for staying in Mankai Company. Tasuku ...That’s right. The things I was searching for that time are here in this theater troupe –– right here in the Winter Troupe. Homare Good grief. In that case, you should realize that sooner before you draw out your worries for so long. Hisoka ...So slow. Azuma We’ll be in your care from now on too, leader. Guy We still have much to polish as we head towards the final performance. Tsumugi We’re counting on you, leader. Tasuku Of course.
Previous	Event Story

Notes

maria